[savage1r]

So I picked up one of these
I'm wondering if not only will it do the job, but will it also work on the bolt with an ATI bolt handle? Also, could I use a rice cooker filled with soap and water to do a thorough cleaning of the bolt parts of my mosin and sks? Will the bluing work on the sks bolt? It won't work on stainless. So I dunno, anyways, appreciate the help.

[Big Dog]

Your pic didn't come thru - the dreaded 'red X'. But having done some cold blueing on Mosins, I can say that I have found some parts don't take the cold blue well at all - Bolt and Butt Plate especially. Coverage on the trigger guard/mag housing is spotty. The barreled action did okay though.
It all depends on the composition of the steel.

Edit: Ah! Now the pic comes over. That's the same stuff I tried to use. There are other brands that may be better. Brownell's "Oxpho Blue" gets good reviews, but I haven't tried it.
Lately, I get good performance using Brownell's Alumahyde II spray finish for guns. The Semi-gloss Black looks really good - not too bright and not dull. It has proven durable too. But Mosin purists would call us bad names for using it. ;-)

[Ninja Piper]

I've experimented with that on one of my project mosins... It all comes down to metal prep. It won't give it a really nice 'factory fresh' look, but for touch ups it seemed to work just fine. I didn't try to blue the bolt at all. It seems to work much better when the parts are warm to the touch as well.

[savage1r]

I was considering boiling the bolt parts in a rice cooker before the bluing

[savage1r]

Wow, pretty impressive results guys. Disassembled the bolt and threw it in an old rice cooker for an hour with enough water to cover all the parts and a few drops of dish soap. Unbelievably clean! The bolt face (always dirty and stained) came out pristine and every other piece looks spotless. Im thinking this is a great way to clean pistol and other small components as well. Will try to get the video of it up as soon as I can.

[Big Dog]

Wear rubber gloves when handling so as not to get finger oils on the parts, then either let dry in the bright sun or in the oven - maybe try the blueing while the parts are warm? Problem with cold blue is that it's basically a surface treatment, not as deep and robust as real chemical hot-blueing.
Blueing the bolt on a Mosin would look odd though - all I have ever seen are in the 'white'.

[Ninja Piper]

I use a cheap toaster oven from goodwill to dry/heat/durabake small parts like bolts, receivers, etc... $10 for a toaster oven prevents the wife from yelling when you forget to remove all the gun parts from the kitchen oven.

[Iron_Colonel]

Big Dog and Ninja Piper are right on. Metal prep is pretty important to good results. Using a bottle of cold blue to do a Mosin can be done. I did an M44 once. Put a few coats on it, and it actually looked pretty good. I did spend a lot of time prepping the metal.

Do wear gloves, and thoroughly prep that metal. Wipe down with mineral spirits, and I went as far as using denatured alcohol to wipe the metal before applying any bluing. Warming would probably help too. After you use water on the bluing, get it dried off and use some gun oil liberally on the parts you blued and let sit overnight. Wipe it off in the morning.

[savage1r]

Hey guys, I got the job done and am really pleased with the results. I definitely will be using gloves next time as that stuff turns your skin brown. Nothing some nail polish remover couldn't fix. I got exactly what I was hoping for and will have a video up about it next week. Bluing looks better than ever, now I just need to save up some coins here and there to re-finish the wood.

[ctreser]

I've been using a product call Blue Wonder Gun Blue. You do need at least a small propane torch because you use heat in the process. Like others have said prepping the metal correctly yields the best results. I really like the results I get from this product.

[Big Dog]

Historically the Russians use a reddish varnish or shellac-based wood finish - it tends to flake and chip with age. I stripped a couple of mine and applied Tung Oil Finish (I like Formby's) to give a more rugged and longer lasting finish, after staining using a reddish-orange wood stain to maintain the 'Russian' look. DO NOT use a 'poly' stain or finish - that doesn't look right on a military rifle.

[gandog56]

Quote:       Originally Posted by Big Dog

Wear rubber gloves when handling so as not to get finger oils on the parts, then either let dry in the bright sun or in the oven - maybe try the blueing while the parts are warm? Problem with cold blue is that it's basically a surface treatment, not as deep and robust as real chemical hot-blueing. Blueing the bolt on a Mosin would look odd though - all I have ever seen are in the 'white'.

The bolt on my New England Westinghouse was blued by them.

[jmeck]

I have done alot of bluing, and it takes practice. The best cold blue I've found is Brownell's "Oxpho Blue". It works with the parts cold or heated. I've found the best way to apply it is with a toothbrush. Sometimes you may need a second application for a darker shade of blue.
If your going for an aged bluing look you can apply it with superfine steelwool. (gives an even blue/grey look). Its true "hot bluing' is the best, if you have the money, hot bluing is $200 a rifle around here.